Half an hour away by train are the beaches and ornate casino of Estoril.

A bit further, Cascais is for eaters -- lots of grilled fish and seafood stews served in domed cataplana dishes.

The other big day trip is to Sintra. Forty minutes from Lisbon's main station (Rossio), it's a time-warp town, located in lush, wooded hills peppered with whimsical palaces and mansions that epitomize centuries of aristocratic opulence.

Bairro Alto: Graffiti with your nightlife, and lots of it.

5. Fabulous design

Wherever you look in Lisbon, sharp contemporary design is a hallmark.

Stylish leather goods, bold wine labels, interiors combining vintage with the latest designer pieces, spectacular buildings -- this is a city that loves to look good.

Large European capitals such as London, Paris, Berlin and Madrid may have blockbuster art collections, but Lisbon's half million inhabitants have access to their own rare panoply.

The classic is the Gulbenkian Foundation(Av. de Berna 45A, +351 21 782 3000), where superlative Oriental and Western art occupies an airy 1960s building and landscaped gardens.

In Bélem, the Museu Berardo (Praça do Império, +351 21 361 2878) focuses on big names of 20th- and 21st-century art, from Picasso to Jeff Koons.

Museu de Arte Antiga (Portuguese site only; Rua Janelas Verdes, +351 21 391 2800) is a 17th-century mansion packed with 500 years of artwork that reflects Portugal's globetrotting history.

Lisbon's latest exclusive is the impressive Museu do Oriente(Avenida de Brasília, Doca de Alcântara, +351 21 358 5244), a superbly converted salt cod warehouse full of Asian exhibits where you can book a nighttime visit followed by dinner in the riverfront restaurant.

7. Fascinating streets

There's no getting bored wandering in Lisbon, thanks to the intricately patterned cobblestones under your feet -- a civic point of pride that blossomed after Lisbon's 1755 earthquake and continues today.

Even Lisbon's walls demand attention, thanks to an obsession with azulejos (ceramic tiles).

Top examples are found at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Rua da Madre de Deus 4, +351 218 100 340), while the peeling façades of the Alfama and Mouraria districts show dozens of variations.